Losantiville Mining Co.

I'm personally looking forward to just having all of my favorite park food back. This year will hopefully be one where I get my eating habits (both timing and what I'm eating) back under control, and visits to Kings Island will be my respite from whatever new territory I venture into that week. Some specific things I'd like to do: Try something from almost every dining location that's on the meal plan. I don't particularly enjoy chicken though, so that is off of my menu. Find the best hamburger/hot dog/LaRosa's pizza in the park. Track my "spending" habits through my meal plan. I did this last year, and got down to a price per meal of ~$3.93 (42 meals across 6 parks) and a price per drink of ~$0.61 (57 drink plan cups across 6 parks). I don't know many places where you can get a good meal for $4.50 these days! Have my comfort foods in the park and rate the quality of each plate of food. Last year's ratings were almost entirely "Good"s and "Great"s, so I'm looking forward to more this season! I don't know that there is space for a new bar, but I wouldn't put it past anyone to find the space. Action Zone has one near Congo Falls, Oktoberfest has one in the Festhaus, Adventure Port has the Mercado bar, Coney Mall has 21&Colder and one next to Jukebox Diner, Area 72 has a beer cart, Rivertown has one next to LaRosa's and another next to the train station, and Soak City has one next to First Aid and another near Coconut Cove Cafe. Planet/Camp Snoopy won't ever get one, which leaves International Street as the only area without a bar. We'll have to see what happens!

So it turned out to be a false report. Now I'm curious as to how something like this happens. Did a Guest Services worker read something wrong and think they were being asked about Xtreme Skyflyer? I haven't seen a screenshot of a correction email, but there probably is one out there somewhere. On the other hand — and I'm purely speculating — if the email was not sent via official park channels, how did it end up on Facebook? I think this is the type of thing that warrants some kind of post from the park. Even something like "Family thrills on the Monster are expected to return later this season once our maintenance teams complete their work to keep this 70 year old ride running!" would be better than nothing IMO. No offense meant to anyone who posted about it but an email with the proper signature is often trusted when it comes to these things, and this one turned out to be false. (I also replied believing it to be true)

With just a little over one week until Passholder Preview and Opening Day, I thought now would be a good time to kick off a centralized 2025 food discussion! From freeze-dried blue ice cream to the first full season of the new Shooting Star Cafe, what are you excited for? What will you be eating first? Will the Rivertown Freestyle or Refresh station by the arcade ever be open?

I'd like to imagine this one stayed more because the stand was renovated, but my "don't take it down" theory is getting some more evidence lol

What this tells me is that we may still see a ton of surprises throughout the next few months. Experience as much as you can while you can, I guess. Also, has anyone yet made the argument as to whether or not a small flat ride can be considered a "family thrill attraction"?

Huh, interesting timing. It looks like that picture got removed from the FB group for some reason, but either way I'm sad to see Monster leave us. There is now a post on the KI Season Pass group though. I can believe the idea that this decision was just made since there hasn't seemed to have been any movement beyond a reply from Guest Services. I don't think the official map will be released until later this week. That seems to be the standard with all of the parks that have opened so far this year. Kings Dominion still has their Xtreme Skyflyer (currently SBNO) on their map, so I wouldn't be surprised if Monster is still seen on Kings Island's first 2025 map either.

I saw some speculation on one of the KI Facebook groups that the walls indicate that Monster is done for, but I don't believe that much at all. There are still a ton of parts on the pad, the operator building and queue line is still standing, and the fence appears to be a standard metal fence covered with the vinyl wrap we've seen on the other quick construction projects. I think if Monster was being retired, we'd have seen everything removed by now with a more permanent wood fence like is over by The Vortex plot.

I wonder what the size/general difference is between the taffy carts and the Dippin' Dots carts are. The taffy carts were definitely a nice thematic addition, but I can see how they probably wouldn't stand up to the current needs of snack stands in the park.

I believe the issue with keeping the Timberwolf stage where it is would be how far down on the slope it is. The back half of the seating is still on a slope and would require a ton of earth to be moved/stabilized in order for any rides to be put there. It might also be a little too far out of the way, especially when the park could fit two smaller flats or one compact coaster in the Skyflyer plot for a lower price tag. That would probably save some money for future projects. It'll probably be a temporary stage. I think anything more than that would have required a permit — and would take 2-5 business months to complete XD. Not many water parks have live entertainment so this would be something that could elevate the experience at Soak City! The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced there's actually someone who specifically decided it was better to leave the Tinker's set all put together than to change anything on it so it could be used for a second show. Realistically the Gazillion Bubble Show is on a two-year contract with Kings Island (similar to any other show at the park these days), but I wouldn't be surprised if this trend of bringing in third party productions continues. Also, if anyone from KI Entertainment is reading this, I have at least three words for you: Wake. The. Dead. This year is set to be the 25th haunt event at Kings Island and would be the perfect opportunity to upgrade some of the experiences. Wake the Dead has been very popular at Cedar Point and Carowinds, doesn't require a ton of stage space (unless you want it to), and would bring an awesome show to an event that needs it.

I think if the park really wanted to have a good spot for it, Timberwolf amphitheater is right there. It wouldn't be the easiest to accomplish, but would theoretically only require the removal of the stage and seating sections closest to it. After that a new stage could be built closer to the remaining seats. The park might even be able to splurge a little and get a covering for the area like the International Showplace has. If there's no more use for the whole amphitheater, why not reuse some of it and demolish the rest? I think it was removed as part of the cuts seen across the chain. Kings Island was one of the only big Legacy Cedar Fair parks that didn't suddenly lose a coaster (Wonderland-Time Warp; Carowinds-Nighthawk, Scream Weaver, Drop Tower; Cedar Point-their skycoaster; Dominion-Anaconda, Berserker, Skyflyer, go karts, and two children's rides). Canada's Wonderland removed theirs for AlpenFury, possibly planned before the merged financial situation was clear to the then-CF execs. If the 2026 attraction goes there I think it will either have been a sudden change or a poorly planned exit for Xtreme Skyflyer. Kings Island didn't lose any events (RIP to KD's Winterfest), the entertainment seems to have stayed its course (thank goodness), and the park is receiving some much needed maintenance across the board (especially with all of the restroom renovations). I think the park made it out far better than expected considering what has been happening throughout this new Six Flags chain. Now for my specific thoughts on the 2025 lineup. I thought this entertainment release timing was somewhat standard for Kings Island, although I can't remember much about it prior to 2023. I'd prefer if they would release it and the events sooner for everyone who has to plan trips before February though. I know everyone was going crazy waiting for the events lineup, but that was released on March 4th — the same day it was released in 2024. Kings Dominion is celebrating their 50th anniversary and the only entertainment I've heard about is their Clown Band, a parade, a Peanuts show, and the Gazillion Bubble Show (which is also in their big theater). Is it cheaper to hire an outside group/production than it is to make one in-house? Is that why we keep seeing bubble and stunt shows? If anyone has some kind of data to share on this, I'd love to know. Country Crossroads: Hooray!!! I love this show. I'm really happy that it's back for most of the summer. My only complaint is how packed the Festhaus will probably be on hot days. Funny fact: the description is still the same as last year and calls it "all-new". Gazillion Bubble Show: I seriously thought "Bubble" was plural, but I guess not. I enjoyed this one when I saw it last year, but it's not something I'd come back for. It doesn't use much of the theater and seems to use a lot of performative happiness. That might just be what it's like when something is made for toddlers and young children; again, this show's not my thing. It would be awesome if another show could come in for the other half of the summer, but I have a feeling that the Tinker's Toy Factory set is behind one of those curtains and nobody wants to move it : ( [put Wake The Dead in there during Haunt, gosh darnit] HiFi Honey & River City: I'm putting the bands together because they're very similar setups. I really like them, and wish there were more throughout the season. A Bands-in-Residence program would be awesome. Hot Rhythm Nights: Seems very nice! I hope it can be better than RetroSpect! was for me. I saw a show with a very similar name at Dorney Park last summer, and if this one lives up to the hype that one had then I'll be a very happy camper. Kings Island's Nighttime Spectacular: Very very very happy we get to keep our fireworks. I wish the park didn't have to constantly fight to keep them. The name is a little bland for me, but I think that's just because I like to name things even if they don't need one. I hope we get to see many many more years of nighttime fireworks. Meet-N-Greet Experience: Not a show, glad it's there for the kiddos, I wish the Peanuts Showplace could be used for a show though. Trailblazers X-treme!: Speaking of being a happy camper... I won't sugarcoat this: I don't like the stunt shows. The cast and everyone involved are great! I just don't like them. I think these fall into the "Shows for families with toddlers" and "Hype show" categories. I do wish this could be the last year we see a stunt show in the International Showplace. I think even having something like Hot Summer Nights (but a little bigger) would still bring the crowds into the Showplace, it just hasn't happened because of either contracts or because nobody wants to take the set apart. In conclusion, I'm very pleased with this lineup, but hope we can see a little more variety next season. Thank you for coming to my rant : )

There is a drink stand there! it's a bar cart : )

Maybe I'll have to try this concept out in my 2025 map style. I figured it would be better to use the amphitheater and Invertigo plots for this coaster since they're both a bit out of the way and since the Timberwolf plot is not flat at all. The Skyflyer plot would be much better (imo) for any flat rides since it's already flat land and could lead people over to the line for The Bat. The bridge over to the entry plaza would be super nice for anyone coming from the Bus/RV and Banshee lots as well. That section of Columbia Road between the security checkpoint and the dead end doesn't see much action (if it sees any) and a bridge would almost definitely help out the flow of people into the entry plaza. What I really like overall about the entrances at Canada's Wonderland and Kings Dominion is that they jut out into the parking lot a little and feel really centered in them.

I think if the entrance building were to receive a new facade with a renovation of the ground floor, it would look and work much better. Any coaster that might occupy that front gate view would need to work in context with the entrance buildings without interrupting the reveal of the park too much. Concepts for this, like the one I drew below, would also require a high amount of trees to be cut down. I don't like that one bit. I may not be the Lorax, but I love trees. In the spirit of putting my idea on screen so I can hate it for myself, I chose to create what you see below. Meet Timberwolf (or something else that could be wolf related), a front gate coaster that could give the park a reason to renovate the entrance plaza. It exits the former Congo Falls station, curves over the water, and heads up the lift hill, down toward the creekbed, over a new bridge, turns around in that middle planter, goes under the new bridge, and does some more stuff before heading back to the station. The pink is the coaster, the red are new/renovated building facades, and the green are a best case scenario for leftover trees. Like I said, I really don't like the idea of having a total front gate coaster. This is just my idea for if it had to happen.

I hope this years Kings Island map shows the trees like it does on the app! With the switch to this new style, none of the maps currently released (Carowinds, Knott's, Kings Dominion, and Great Adventure) have any trees on them and it makes it look very bare. That was also my complaint about the Winterfest map last year, when it looked even more bare with lots of rides and parts of the map missing.

I hope that if/when they fully redesign the entrance plaza, they either add a bridge from the ticket windows to that side of the parking lot (similar to what Carowinds has) or complete a massive project that would make the entrance more like Canada's Wonderland or Kings Dominion (1-2 central sets of scanners with an exit on either side of the plaza). For this redo I just hope they put up some signage directing guests into each line. That and some retractable fencing dividing the turnstile lines during busy times would be awesome. Nobody wants to wait through a line only to find out that they should've been in a different line because they have a bag or a stroller or something like that. Side note: I think if Kings Island really feels the need to build their own version of GateKeeper, they would find it best to rebuild their entrance/security plaza to be more like Canada's Wonderland has with Leviathan. It's been noted that the offices and warehouses likely prevent any coaster from going over them, so having it curve onto a small "island" in the middle of the center walkway would give the same effect while providing an excuse to do a full security plaza update.

I understand that Cedar Point is advertising on YouTube using one of their YouTube videos, but this feels a little odd. It makes me wonder if the ad is set up to pull from their entire video catalog or if someone just didn't remove this particular ad from the list.

I'll be making a quick trip to the restroom and the renovated store

On the topic of landscaping and the little things, I wish the park would bring back the two planter carts that sat at the front of International Street after the 2019 renovation. They looked like the old taffy carts and added some visual interest, even when there were no flowers in them. I think installing things like those carts, some small kiosks, raised planter beds, and a few other small decorations would give the park a little more charm than it already has.

I think the image on the feed is from yesterday. It has a little timestamp in the corner that didn't update with the others.

I think a fun and innovative addition could be a smaller river rapids ride between Tidal Wave Bay and River Racers, behind Breakers Bay. It would be shorter than White Water Canyon, but would provide a new experience for waterpark guests and a new island for more attractions in the center. The biggest issues I can foresee are space and the lack of tree coverage. My initial concept below includes the removal of Tropical Twister and some cabanas (replaced elsewhere). Additions include: a new river rapids attraction (described above), a new station building for the KI&MVRR (where Tropical Twister was), a new food stand or shop near Splash River and the Zoom Flume, a couple of new slides/attractions within the river rapids footprint, and a new path connecting Stormwater Bay (Tidal Wave Bay) to River Racers. Most of this would coincide with the overdue retheme of Soak City into Wildwater Junction. The theming would move away from "generic loose tropical" and more toward "local watering holes and wild riverside play places". It could play into the area's river history while being upgraded since it is now the only big waterpark in the immediate area. I decided to go with the name Wildwater Junction instead of something like Waterworks because Waterworks sounds more like a municipal plant and some of the other options don't feel like they would fit as well.

Six Flags just released a new "New Hire / Funsultant" ad for various parks across the chain. It begins with a worker man setting up a desk in front of Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds, putting his feet up on it, and getting comfortable as other employees in the background frantically run to get the park ready for the season. The camera then shows the feet of a person wearing high heels walking up to the desk, scaring the man, and adjusting the "Funsultant" title plate on the desk before cutting to a shot of dancers from Grand Carnivale. The ad then shows three shots from whichever park it is specifically advertising and ends with a short promotion of the Silver Pass. I think it's a fun ad (pun intended) with my only question being if we'll get to see more of this "new hire" character. It seems like a good setup for some potential legacy Six Flags parks to update their image, like we've seen through physical changes in parks like Great Adventure. The Cedar Fair side has been shining through in a lot of the new updates and additions, so we will continue to see more as time goes on. (I don't have a link to the video, but if anyone does then feel free to share it)

Bluegill Lagoon Cabana rentals are now on sale from the park, with prices beginning at $359 per cabana. They're decently sized, can accommodate up to 14 people, come with free water + sundries, and "upgraded furniture". You still only get 4 souvenir towels with no passholder discount, but something tells me that anyone willing to split a cabana for more than $350 between (realistically) 10 people, you can probably bring your towels and buy the theme park food and beverages without caring about any discounts.

There's certainly some amount of room on the bottom (long closed) observation deck, but that would surely be too good of an experience for the park to offer (/s). Also, I know Six Flags is purging a lot of employees, but is there really nobody in the office who can photoshop something over a real picture of the Eiffel Tower? I can't dictate if places are allowed to use AI to make stuff, but Cedar Point's April Fools joke looked like it had a little more effort put into the images than just typing the prompt, generating, and posting. Despite all of the AI, I did enjoy the April Fools joke on the Season Passholder page as well lol.

Maybe this and Siren's Curse will do something to help everyone not be shoulder to shoulder on some of the midways this year. I don't think it's a good idea to limit guest attendance, but some of those crowd pictures (especially from Haunt) looked straight up dangerous.

It was a little confusing trying to figure out how the queue line moves through the ride layout. The way the FastLane line and standard line both go under the tilt made me think they were connected horizontally and not vertically. It's interesting to see how the FastLane queue has a little cattle pen area as well. The fact that almost the entire queue is also under the coaster will be very interesting to experience, especially the little bridge over the track.